The Cutest Mom Swimsuit You Ever Saw

On my last Disney Cruise one of the best (worst?) games we played was Are-They-Really-Wearing-That-Bathing-Suit?! I mean, I get that you want to be cute. Trendy. Stylish. Carefree. Youthful. But honestly. Respect your body. Wear a bathing suit that makes it happy. And others happy.

I remember this woman walking by who was probably 55 and she had on a very modest bathing suit that fit her in all the right places. She could have picked up the latest bikini from Old Navy and would have been more “stylish” and yes, even more “youthful”. But by wearing something that actually complemented her body, she looked gorgeous!

Now. Here I am. 33 years old. Two kids under my belt….around my tummy. And I’ve had the same bathing suit since I was preggo with Lydia. I bought it a size too big from the Gap before I had an official baby bump. And I still have it. It’s the typical bikini bottom and tankini that ties around your neck. It’s doesn’t really fit right. It’s not as cute as it was 5 years ago.

So, I go shopping for a suit this year. And I discover what I really want is something like this:

…with a bigger hat…and crocs. I am officially an old person. A very white old person.

Then I remembered Lands End swimsuits were supposed to be pretty nice and semi modest. I clicked around on their site and found the CUTEST skirt ever. Yes, skirt. Like a bathing suit with a SKIRT on it. Yes, the same kind your grandma used to wear. But tell me how adorable this one is:

It’s only 8 inches long and I just fell in love with it. Well, true to form I wait until the middle of June to actually buy said suit. And they are all out of them. The catalog is out. The website is out. The stores are out. And so am I.

I was totally bummed until I ran across The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. They are giving away LANDS END SWIMSUITS on their blog! WOOT. I entered (as many times as I could!) and whaddya know? I WIN!

I have to give my top 3 choices of suits because some of them are out of stock (Hmph.) and of course, I wanted that ruffly mini skirt the most. But I gave my three choices and here’s what I ended up with…

Not quite as adorable, but still once you get it on, it’s pretty cute. And which top did I get? It’s called the Ruffle Tunic. It’s kind of long and has a ruffle around the bottom. It was actually my third choice because I thought it would look best with a bikini bottom. So, when it came in the mail I thought, “Oh no. I’m going to look like a hippo.” Well, to be more specific, THIS hippo:

Instead, I tried it on and not only does it completely suck and tuck you all in, it is unbelievably stylish! It’s not like anything I’ve seen before and I LOVE IT. I actually got it in brown but the pink photo shows you how cute it is. It’s much longer than it looks, too. I tried it on with a bikini bottom and it was so long it covered it right up. With the skirt it’s just adorable!

I cannot wait to walk around anywhere (!) and wear a cute, fashionable, age-appropriate, modest swimsuit! I did go to Sears to try on other pieces and they were all 50% off. So, if you’re still looking for a suit, that’s the place to go!

AND! A few more links for you:

When I was looking around other websites to find some bathing suit pics (I was going to put a pic of a skimpy suit on there just to compare but decided I didn’t want a scantily clad woman on my site!) and was SO impressed at the modest suits I found. Macys.com had some cute skirted suits from Kenneth Cole and some really fun swimsuit cover ups.

Lime Ricki is an AWESOME funky yet modest swimwear line that I found via 30Days and I love it. They always have sales on their facebook page and via twitter. You will love every single thing they make!

So, my point is: try something new. Not tighter, shorter and skimpier. But more comfortable, slimming and age-appropriate. Make swimsuit season one that is pleasant for you and a good example of modesty to your sons and daughters!

*NOT a paid post. No affiliate links. Just good old fashioned, “I LOVE THIS STUFF!” therefore I am linking to my fave carnival of all times, Things I Love Thursday by the amazing, talented, beautiful and hilarious Jill at Diaper Diaries!